Means for clearing the pipes of pneumatic systems.



I. H. SPENCER.

MEANS FOR CLEARING THE PIPES 0F PNEUMATIC SYSTEMS. APPLICATION FILED JAILSO, 190s.

Patented Dec. 10, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Fig.1.

11v VENTOR.

WITNESSS.-.

fig LL Am- AAJ- B 7 7m Q M44 iTTORNEY. I

I. H. SPENCER. MEANS FOR CLEARING THE PIPES 0F PNEUMATIC SYSTEMS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.30, 1908,

Patented Dec. 10

i sHnnTssHEnT 2.

- WITNESSES: 3 QM INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE... 1 I

m n. srn'ncnr or mmronn, connncrrcur, 'AssIenon" 'ro THE SPENCER rm CLEANER COMPANY, or mn'rrolan, connnorzcu'r, a couronATIoN or connncrrcu'r.

Muenster, CLEARING run runs or rnEUMATIc srsrnns.

p '1 ,,04=6,8U-1. Specification of Letters latent. Patented B36510 1912, Application filed January so, 1908. semi110,413,396.'

..-.... To '.all whom it may concern: area in cross-section will be given to the 55 it known that ,'I, IRA H. SPENCER, a pipes in proportion to the number of citizen of the United States, and a resident branchesconnected with the mains.

. of. Hartford, in.the cbunty of Hartfordand The numeral 9 denotes ln-anchesextend- State of Connecticut, have invented new ing from .the main 8, and these branches and Improved Means for Clearing the Pipes are provided with hose connections I for off Pneumatictiystems,of which the followattachment of a hose 11, each containing aspecification. i .at its outer end a cleaningtool 12. These M i ti l t t th 01333 f.debranches are provlded with such suitable .0 yioes specified, and the object of my innumber of hose connections as will adapt lvntion among, others is to provideadevice the system fort-he special purpose to which '65 this Fclass in which the system .may be it is to'be put.-

" lcfiptclar from obstruction or from which llefnfiins nd branches a p p o e -o st-ruction may be readily removed. as to SIZG in cross-section o p rm thefiow 15 l One :form of apparatus in the use of of a current of air to enable the proper 0pwhich the, objects sought may be attained eraum of all of he. cleaning tools 0011- s illustrated in the accompanying drawnected therewith. It will',therefore, be seen i ,if hi h v I that when all of the cleaning tools con- Figure 1 is apdieigrammatic view illusnected with acertam main are in operation 20 :trating ,the, arrangement of my improved the volume of an passing through the main f j t Fi 2 i i l l g d, will-be much larger-and the flow fasterthan '75 of a structure illustrating the operation of in cases where a less number of the cleaning the apparatus. I, p p l tools are in operation, asin the latter inr In the accompahying drawings the nustancemuch lessair can gain access through meral 5 illustrates a. device for creating a, the smaller number of cleaning tools in opv 'flow of'air, and my i vention fi ding ready eration. It has been found that when a few so application in connect-ion with pneumatic of the cleaning tools only are inoperation, cleaning apparatus in which uctio is owing to this comparatively sluggish niove-.

produced at the intake of cleaning tools, ment of the air current, the heavier parti- 1,0 for the purpose of facilitating the descripcles of (hit with which the air is impreg- ".tion this device may be considered as a noted asa result of the cleaning operation,

pneumatic exhauster of any approved form Will settle to the lowerlevels within the and will be hereinafter referred to as a pipe, which will thus gradually become obpump the representation being that of a struoted, should the cleaning operation with ,85 turbine exhauster. This pump has an inlet the comparatively small number of tools to which an inletpipeor-tube- 6 is con continue for a suiiicient length of time, 0 nected, and an outlet 7 which may discharge which result isliable to occur in any system. into any suitable receiver, chimney or like This obstruction to the pipes would eventustruct-ure; ally become so great as to seriously im air,

40 My invention is especially applicable in .if not entirely obstruct, the efiiciency o the a cleaning system in which the .tubes 'ex-- mains, by checking the movement of the air tend for a considerable distance in different currents therethrough. It has, therefore, directions, as where installed in very large been fdund desirable to provide some means iiuildings, in railroad yards for the purpose for preventing'this obstruction to the mains,

45 of-cleaning the interior of cars and their and as they extend'in various directions and 1 contents, and in other like places. at considerable distances from thefptunp,

Y fThen'umei-al 8 denotes the mains con the means for preventing obstruction should gnected with the inlet .ipe 6. These mains be centrally located. 7

are arranged in any esired manner 'as to To this end I have provided a device 5 relative location and areof proper size having the requisites above set out, such :1

throughout their length or different pordevice, in thtorm illustrated'herein, intions of their. length to properly perform eluding auxiliary pipes 13 suitably connectthe function required. ed with the pump- 5. At the end of each In approved forms of construction an main or at such other location; as will answer the purpose, a flushing valve 14, closmg a vent opening to the mam is located. Each valve is so arranged that it may be operated by a movement of air through the 5 auxiliary pipes 13, the latter being supplied preferably one to each main or a branch when such may be required. Each valve has a stem 16 extending through a guide 17 and bearing a piston 18. Each stem is connected to a diaphragm 19 located' in a shell 20. 'A weight 21 maybe employed, if desired, to

- assist in the closing movement of each valve, and as shown in Fig. 2, this weight may be in two pieces clamping the diaphragm 19 5 between them. Each iston 18 is located in a cylinder 22, the who c forming a dashpot arrangement for regulating the rate of movement of the flushing valve 14, es'pecially in its closing movement. A by-pass 23 establishes communication between the chambers in each cylinder on opposite sides of theapiston, and a by-pass valve 24 may .be employed to control the movement of -fluid through the by-pass. By this con- 25 struction the rate of movement of the piston may be'changed to suit various conditions which may arise.- Any suitable means, however, may be employed in lieu of the f dashpot for regulating and controlling the closing movement of the flushing valves 14:. Such a regulator is desirable for the reason that when the .force which has opened a valve is released the suction created-by the pump would cause such valve to close suddenly and the consequent shock would be liable to rupture the pipes or injure other parts of the apparatus. I

The auxiliary pipes 13 extending from the valve mechanisms appurtenant to each an of thd'inains lead preferably to valve operating mechanism which is interposed between the valve and'the pump 5. Each of the pipes 13, as shown, extends to this valve operator, which includes a valve operator 15 tube 25 extending into the. inlet pipe 6. This valve operator tube 25 has branches 26 connected therewith in which operating valves 27 are located. These operating valves 27. 'are collectively arranged in a position preferably near the pump 5, and as shown in Fig. 2. This arrangement may resemblesomething the form of a switch-board used in clcctrical apparatus. The valve shown in section is in its open position, the remainder of the valves being closed.

The numeral 28 indicates a stand-pipe which may rise from the end of a main, or from any portion thereof, as within a building, and branches 29 may extend from this stand-pipe to different parts of different floors or stories in the building.

It will be noted that in an apparatus as herein shown and described the dill'ereut mains and. lnrarelu-s of a system may be readily cleared of an accumulaled mass of dirt or like material in a ready and eliieienl' i manner. The operating valves being all lo.-

2 rated in proximity to the pumpthe operator may observe the action of the clearing operation upon the pump and thus be ready to regulate such clearing action -,so that injury to the pump will not result. -.The pipes may be cleaned out at regularly stat-ed intervals and within a'short space of time, thus insuring at all times the effective operation of all parts of the system. 1

Should a separate device for operating thd flushing valves and located at a distance from the pump be employed, there would be danger that. a-flushing valve might inadvertently be leftopen. This would cause inefleclive operation of all of the branches connected with that main at least and would impair the eflicieney of the whole system, and 1 the only-way in which the open valve could 135 be located would be by actually finding such valve, which mightin a large and widely extending system consume a great deal of time.

By my improved device the flushing valves maybe readily operated as hereinbefore described from a single location, the closing of such valves is insured, and this closing movementis regulated to such extent as to'pre-' vent injury to the apparatus.

1. In a pneumatic apparatus, a main flow' pipe, a device for creating'flow. of a current of air for carrying purposes through said main, which has an opening at a distancc from said current creatingdeyice, a valve to control said opening, pnei'uuatically operated means ",for opening and closing said valve,-said means being constructed to actunder the force normally inthe flow creating device, an auxiliary pipe connecting said pneumaticallyoperated means with said current creating device, and a valve located in said auxiliary pipe in proximity to said current creating device to control the movement of said valve.

2. In a pneumatic apparatus, a plural number of mains having openings at one end, a device for producing flow of air currents through said mains and connected therewith at the end opposite said openings, 1 5 a valve for controlling each of said openings, pneumatically operated mechanism for operating said valves, said mechanism being constructed to'act under the force normally in the flow producing device, a plural nu mber of auxiliary pipes each connected with the pneumatically opera ed device, a common return pipe connected with said dev ce for producing air currents, said return pipe extending between the ends ofsaid auxiliary 1 pipes that branch therefrom.

In a pneumatic apparatus, a plural number of mains each having an opening at one end, a device for producing air currents connected with the opposite ends of said mains, a valve for controlling each of said openings, a pneumatically operated device for operating the valves, said device being constructed to act under the force normally in the current producing. device, a common return pipe connected with said device for creating the flow of air currents, auxiliary pipes extending from said pneumatically actuated apparatus and entering said common return pipe on diametrically opposite sides thereof, and valves located in said auxiliary pipes on opposite sides of said common return pine.

4. In a pneumatic system including a pipe with means for creating flow of a current of air therethrough, said pipe having an opening thereinto, a valve for closing the opening into said pipe, means for preventing forcible closing of the valve, an auxiliary pipe connected with the current producing apparatus, and means for creating flow of air through said auxiliary pipe.

IRA H. SPENCER.

Witnesses:

ARTHUR P. DAY, MAY CARROLL. 

